


The Right Guy

by somethinglikegumption



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: AU, Bughead is endgame so don't freak out over the tags, F/M, First Dates, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-13
Updated: 2017-11-12
Packaged: 2019-02-01 16:32:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,261
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12708723
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/somethinglikegumption/pseuds/somethinglikegumption
Summary: Betty’s gone on bad date after bad date looking for the perfect guy. The man who wants her sister. The dude who still lives with his mom. No matter how bad the date, though, she can always depend on her best friend Veronica and her favorite bartender Jughead to get her through.





	The Right Guy

**Author's Note:**

> It's short, but I figured this is the perfect time to start writing a fluffy fic after everything that's gone down in our fandom this week. 
> 
> Background: All of the characters are adults and didn't go to high school together.
> 
> All of the mistakes are my own.

“Uh-oh,” Veronica says to the bartender as the blonde storms through the front door. “That’s not a good sign.”

Jughead looks up from the fridge he’s restocking and sees the fire in Betty’s green eyes as she marches up to the bar. In ten seconds flat, he’s got a wine glass on the counter and a bottle of sauvignon blanc in one hand, pouring a healthy dose for the new arrival.

As soon as the wine is poured, she grabs the glass and downs half of it in one go.

“That bad?” Veronica asks, a sympathetic smile on her face.

Betty just grumbles and takes another swallow of her drink. The crisp wine is smooth as it goes down, unlike the crappy cheap beer she’d been drinking earlier on the date from hell.

“What was it this time?” Jughead says, bracing his arms on the bar. “Picked a horror movie? Took you to a McDonald’s for dinner?”

“Worse,” Betty answers, crossing her arms on the counter and resting her chin on top. “Hooters.”

Veronica and Jughead wince in unison and Jughead turns to the wall of bottles, pulling down the Jose Cuervo, Betty’s favorite bad date cure. Veronica rubs her shoulder in sympathy and waves her other hand to catch Jughead’s attention, pointing him towards the Patrón instead.

“This is the last Tinder date. From now on, it’s strictly Bumble,” Betty vows. She cringes at the warning signs that are now hitting her all at once. The mirror selfie should have tipped her off immediately, but she’d been distracted by the golden retriever in two of the photos.

“Maybe you should try dating a person you meet in real life?” Jughead says, reaching under the bar to grab two shot glasses. “Most of the guys on those apps are one dick pic away from a restraining order.”

“Don’t act so high and mighty,” Veronica says, glaring at Jughead with a look that is very clearly saying _shut the hell up_. “Bartenders are Tinder gold. You probably have the girls over here faster than you can say ‘Free Drinks’.”

Betty lifts her head to gulp down the last of her wine and props her chin up with one hand, gazing longingly at the bottle in Jughead’s hand. “He’s sort of right. I’ve had more bad Tinder dates than good and twice as many horrible pickup lines as bad dates. But,” she adds, waving the glass at him to emphasize her point, “the guys in real life are even worse! They spend all their time at the gym or they go out and get drunk every night and they all suck.”

“Tell us how you really feel,” Jughead says, smirking, as he lines up the glasses on the bar. “But before you continue, let me remind you that you’re in here almost every night, getting drunk.”

“That’s different, Jughead darling,” Veronica interjects. “We enjoy a glass - _or bottle_ \- “ she adds at Jughead’s incredulous look “ - of wine and good conversation, as well as some of the best appetizers in a two mile radius. Not endless domestic beers with the guys at a sports bar, or as our dear Betty has seen firsthand, a Hooters, but classy entertainment at your fine establishment.”

“Yeah, and we’re not here every night,” Betty pipes in. “Sometimes we drink at home.” No offense to Jughead, but she had rent to pay and a glass of wine at the bar cost the same amount as a bottle from the liquor store down the street.

“That’s why I said almost,” Jughead says, reaching out to bop Betty’s nose with one finger, chuckling as she slaps his hand away.

“You suck too,” she mutters under her breath.

“Keep talking like that and I’m cutting you off,” he says, his actions betraying his words as he fills the glasses up to the brim. Putting one in front Betty, he watches in surprise and a tiny bit of awe as she throws back the shot like it’s water.

“I’m going to regret this, aren’t I?” Jughead asks Veronica as Betty makes grabby hands towards the other shot.

“Shut up and get to pouring, barkeep,” Veronica responds, pushing the full glass towards Betty and taking another sip of her vodka tonic.

* * *

Veronica had ordered food around the time Betty had ordered a third shot and another glass of wine as a chaser, and then demanded she spill all of the details. After that round, Veronica had switched to whiskey as Betty shared her story of Jake the overgrown frat boy. Highlights included inviting his friends on their date and hitting on the server while Betty was in the bathroom hyperventilating over the fact that he had brought friends on their supposed date.

“And then I tell him I’m leaving, and he tells me he would have paid more attention to me if I had dressed more slutty!” Betty says, burying her face in her hands.

Veronica gasps. “That asshole! I picked that outfit out and it’s the perfect amount of slutty for a first date!”

“I should have known when he told me to meet him at the train stop instead of giving me an address. I thought it was cute, like he wanted to surprise me? But then I saw the orange neon…” she trails off, reaching one hand out to grab the last few truffle fries out of the basket. “Seriously, I wasted a pair of heels on tonight. It’s enough to make me want to give up dating forever.”

“Maybe not forever,” Veronica suggests softly, “but possibly take a break from trying to meet someone and just go with the flow?”

Betty thinks it over. She really needs to put in some more hours at work if she wants to make a good impression on the new senior editor, and a little decompression time never hurt anybody. “Yes,” she says firmly, nodding as the idea takes hold. “No more forcing it, just letting things come naturally. And absolutely no more Tinder.”

Veronica laughs. “Delete that app right now or I’m doing it for you. Also lose this Jake guy’s number.”

Jughead makes his way down to them with a black envelope, and Betty finally looks around the bar, realizing it’s cleared out while she told Veronica about her horrible night. “Last call, ladies,” Jughead says. “Anything else for you?”

“Shots to celebrate!” Betty cheers, half out of excitement and half out of drunkenness. Jughead glances at Veronica for approval.

“What the hell,” Veronica says, pulling out her credit card. “I guess we’re taking an Uber home tonight. More shots, and one for you too Jug!”

“Don’t have to twist my arm,” he says, and pulls out clean glasses and once again brings down the bottle of tequila. “Not that I’m complaining, but this is a complete 180 from before. What are we celebrating?” He asks as he quickly pours and distributes the shots, handing Betty the least-full glass with a wink.

“Being young and single, and not trying so hard,” Betty says, lifting her glass into the air. “Enough of the dating apps and the blind dates. I’ve decided to let it go and let Mister Right come to me. ”

“You’re too much of a catch to be chasing after guys, so cheers to that, Betty,” Veronica says, reaching over the bar for a lime wedge. She picks up her shot and Jughead follows suit.

They both raise their glasses and turn to Betty, who smiles sheepishly and extends her now-empty shot glass over the bar towards Jughead.

“Refill?” she asks hopefully.


End file.
